So he has a 1.5 gl filtered tanks (although right now I turned the filter off because it is black DIRTY!(its only been a week, is that normal for it to get so dirty?) and I haven't been able to go to the city to buy a new cartridge thingy) It is not heated because I myself get cold easily, so my room is always rather warm (especially in winter) and his tank water seems to always be really warm...

Anyways... when I first got him and put him in the tank with his betta water and stuff, he was so hyper! He was always swimming around and playing and when I came close to the tank he would always come to greet me and beg for food (which i gave in and gave to him...but I realized I was being a bad mommy and over loving him so I put him on a feeding schedule now).
BUT now he looks sad and bored and somewhat shy... especially after his little nest got ruined (not intentionally).
It kind of has me worried. My roommates say I'm just overreacting and that he is fine, but I don't know! I want him to live for a long time!

He is still somewhat active, I mean he chases the ghost shrimp when he notices them, and he winds through the little leaves but its not as much as before! Actually, before I thought he was psycho because at some points he would act like he wanted to hop out of the tank at me. But now he's like "whatever."

So I am confused! what is his "normal" behavior?
OH! and he is extremely colorful. Very bright, vibrant colors.

The odd stuff I noticed:

he is slower
his tail fins look like they got thinner to me (but i also think my eyes are playing tricks on me, i think its because i'm worried...but I don't know!)
yesterday he was hiding under the filter (while it was turned off)
and he was leaning on his decorations a lot yesterday as well
also, the snail that is in his tank is being weird too. its not slithering around as much. and he floats randomly.

Today he is being more social! still randomly hangs out under or behind the turned off filter when my roommate or I look at him for more than a minute or so.

so am i over thinking things.. or is this "normal?"

Pictures!!!
Before weird behavior:

After weird behavior:

(you can see what i mean about the "thinner fins" in this one)

Sorry for the longggggggg post! :/
If you all think his fins are fine, what about his behavior?

how long was the filter running before you turned it off? 1 week? how often do you do water changes and how much do you change %? what do you feed him and when? do you condition the water and what is the actual tank temp? you should just rinse his filter cartridge in old, conditioned tank water. you don't need to replace them until the first one is literally falling apart. and most important ...have you tested your water?

I literally just got him 1 week ago, so yes only 1 week. I did his first complete water change yesterday (100% because there was little droppings under the gravel, and I am a broke college student so I can't go out and buy a vacuum). yes, his water is conditioned. I feed him "Aqueon BettaFood"
Thanks for the info about the filter. Will do that next time.
I still need to get a thermometer and testing kit, so as of right now, I do not know.

When I go to get it (this weekend) what brand/kind do you suggest? (the only pet store in the area is petsmart).

ALSO, he started acting a bit anti social while the filter was still on... Originally i thought it was because the current may be a bit strong (for some reason it seemed to start pulling water in with a stronger current for the past few days. (it had a ripple instead of a natural flow)).

How big is his tank? PetSmart has a betta tank cleaner (I don't know how to describe it except like a big eye dropper thing). They are pretty reasonably priced. I have a gravel vacuum, but I use that (the eye dropper thing) once a day and go through the tank in the areas that are usually pretty dirty. I just shove it down into the gravel and suck the water up. It gets a lot of the poo and other stuff out.

Thermometer: $2.99 at petsmart or same price at Walmart (I like the Walmart one...easier to read). Get the ones that float inside the tank and have the suction cup! The ones that stick to the outside are not as accurate.
At petco you can buy individual liquid kits or at petsmart they have a big master liquid kit for $40 (kinda expensive...). But strips are not as accurate.
I'm a broke college kid too so I totally understand!
Also...you don't actually need a filter for a 1.5 gallon. It is too little to cycle. You would be better off by doing a 50% change one day and then after a few days do a 100% change. I kept my Toby in a 1.5 cube for a while and that worked best for me. You shouldn't have to vacuum one that small, it's easier to just shift the gravel around to loosen any debris and then dump the water. I'd stay away from filters for a tank that small (mine came with one but I don't use it). Bettas are happier with as little or no flow as possible so I would skip the filter all together.
:)

That's good to know about the big eye dropper. It looks like eye droppers of various sizes are useful in fish keeping. I think some people were using really small ones to feed mosquito larvae or something like that.

I was feeding "Aqueon BettaFood" at first, but switched to a floating pellet which seems to be very popular with Finlay, my betta. Too many of the Aqueon ones were sinking and laying at the bottom. Maybe I was just such a newbie that I didn't know a poop from a pellet. Pretty lame, I know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeptunesMom

How big is his tank? PetSmart has a betta tank cleaner (I don't know how to describe it except like a big eye dropper thing). They are pretty reasonably priced. I have a gravel vacuum, but I use that (the eye dropper thing) once a day and go through the tank in the areas that are usually pretty dirty. I just shove it down into the gravel and suck the water up. It gets a lot of the poo and other stuff out.